I have a bulging issue but I don't think it is the filling, its like when you put the 2 layers together and I put icing in the layers so you can't tell its 2 layers after it's iced.  I take a cake tip and fill in the gap and a light crumb coat and sit overnight.  Then I finish icing it the next day and if its 2 tier when you put it together the icing that I tried to cover up the look of the 2 layers bulges out.  Its awful you can always tell it has the look in the middle that is a 2 layer cake.  Any suggestions

ACinder...do you have a picture of any of your cakes doing this??

ACinder 719, the problem you describe is EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

I stopped having bulging issues when I changed my icing recipe to one that didn't contain any liquid.....just 2 cups butter 2 cups vegetable shortening 2 tablespoons vanilla and 2 pounds powdered sugar.  It seems, at least for me, that when the sugar is "wet" by a liquid, be it water, milk, creamer, etc., it tends to want to slowly flow, causing the bulging to occur.  I haven't had that issue in many years now.

AI've read through all of the posts but am not really sure how this problem can happen. I've never had it happen (yet). Don't you put in supports and dowels to prevent all of that extra weight pushing down on the lower tiers? Why the bulge?

I fill my cakes in the pan they were baked, in use a thick dam, never put liquid apart from maybe a flavoured extract and weight the top (tile is a great idea).

Never had a bulge...well on a cake anyway.

Sorry I got busy.  Let me find one, and I'll post.  Thanks

Alan Tetreault suggests using a ring of fondant as a dam for fruit fillings when doing tiered cakes. Has anyone tried this or anything close? I may have to do a fruit filled wedding cake and am trying to figure out the best way to assemble so it does not fall apart. Have also thought about carving out the cake half an inch in and quarter of an inch deep and putting the filling in there. It might look strange when it's cut but it should stop the filling from oozing out... any thoughts?

i've never tried that with fondant -- i guess because what i do works and i like to use thick layers of filling -- i pipe a double line of icing one atop the other around the edge so there's plenty of smbc to fill in all the gaps -- when it gets cold in the fridge as i chill all my cakes -- it's as firm as cold butter -- i never have a oozing problem --

well 'never' since i was a little girl trying to make layer cakes that slid off each other never mind the filling oozing out hahahaha

I put a damn of ganache and then put my filling.  That has worked well for the bulging problem.

Cake spackle.... you mean you can keep yourself from eating the cake crumbs? Nice tips, and I will be buying a 12x12 tile from Home Depot, or a smaller one since my pan sizes are 9 and 8 inch.

I know this is an old post but I'll  ask anyway....when do you put the tile on the cake..while they're chilling in the fridge or after they have been crumb coated? and if after the crumb coat, how do you stop it from sticking to the tile? would you use a plastic barrier? I have my cakes in the fridge now each with a tile on top. After crumbcoat, is it best to leave them out or put back in the fridge?

Leave them out with the tile.  I do not refrigerate my cakes I work with them at room temperature.  You can put a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap under the tile.

I use the tile method (thank you Leah!).  I fill at room temperature, use a super-stiff buttercream dam, place cake on counter/put a piece of parchment paper between tile and top of cake, loosely cover entire cake/tile with tea towel and let set for 2 hours or overnight.

After the tile has compressed the layers/filling in the tier, I scrape off any excess, THEN I crumb coat and finish. 

I never, ever refrigerate cakes.  But I don't use perishable fillings either.  

^ what she said.

I never, ever refrigerate cakes.  But I don't use perishable fillings either.  

^ what she said.